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Another Christian Science Fair embarrasses itself

It’s becoming a trend: Evangelical Christian institutions that try to do science inevitably demonstrate breathtaking inanity of their own. The latest victim is the Pawleys Island Christian Academy. Take a gander at the first place winner in biology.

Brian Benson, an eighth-grade student who won first place in the Life Science/Biology category for his project “Creation Wins!!!,” says he disproved part of the theory of evolution. Using a rolled-up paper towel suspended between two glasses of water with Epsom Salts, the paper towel formed stalactites. He states that the theory that they take millions of years to develop is incorrect.

“Scientists say it takes millions of years to form stalactites,” Benson said. “However, in only a couple of hours, I have formed stalactites just by using paper towel and Epsom Salts.”

This isn’t just wrong, it’s appallingly wrong. He’s wrong on the facts, wrong on the interpretations, wrong on the understanding of how science works. If we’re charitable and grant that a 14 year old has some reasonable excuse for ignorance, we can still indict his parents, his science teacher, and the judges at this fair on gross incompetence on multiple charges.

This experiment has nothing to do with biology.

Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate; stalactites are made of calcium carbonate.

Stalactite growth rates are estimated to be around 0.1-10 centimeters per thousand years. If we assume his ‘stalactite’ was 10 cm long and use the slowest growth rate, that’s 100 thousand years, not millions.

Even if he had demonstrated an accelerated rate of stalactite growth, stalactite length isn’t the method used to date the age of the earth.

To quote the unquestionable authority, Terry Pratchett: “And all those exclamation points? Five? A sure sign of someone who wears his underpants on his head.” Mister Benson comes perilously close to the underpants limit in his title.

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I agree with #475. I have to admit, it is pretty funny, but also depressing if you think about it for a while. It appears that ignorance unfortunatley runs unchecked in the minds of some people. I hate it when people judge us Christians by a small group of radicals.

I just happened on this link in a search for something else and I just had to take a look. At first I fumed a little but you know, there is something for me to think about here. I homeschool my kids (I’m sure most of you will acuse me of child abuse) and as a Christian (radical in my love for Christ), I believe I must really research “Christian” ideas regarding science. The Bible says that we should not take a teacher’s word for what they teach, but to search the scriptures to see if what they teach lines up with scripture. The same could be said for the aforementioned Science Fair ideas. I didn’t actually click on the link but the ones mentioned in the above posts were “interesting”. In this case, based on what PZ said, obviously the ideas to perform the experiment were taken as factual and not researched properly, perhaps. In any case, if anything, this type of information has caused me to throughly think and research science experiments to make sure the facts are straight. For me, regarding this student’s findings, I believe in creation because of my personal faith in God. Unfortunately, because he didn’t research this well enough (and that could certainly fall in the lap of his teacher and parents), he made a joke in the “science world” and yet another reason to bash believers.

Creationism seems to exist foremost for the purpose of proving that God does exist. Anti-creationism seems to exist primarily for the purpose of proving that God does not exist. Neither one is “scientific”. It is boring, however.

Oh really steve_c… you really believe that the evidence proves the the bibles account is false. Do you explore all data. Or just biased sites that agree with your views. Because I for one explored all sides and found that Christ must exist according to evidence.

He didn’t really disprove the theory of evolution but rather A “proof” that the Earth is milions of years old.
The stalactite-majig was already dis proven by nature anyways, when a stalactite formed in a couple of years in some cave. This caused the park authorities to change their presentation.

There is no evidence for christ existing appart from a few people accounts 2008 years ago.Maybe he was just a scholar or teacher, and people thought he was amazing (gifted not the son of god) I think christians cant accept that there is such a thing as ‘random’ or ‘chance’ so they don’t accept evolution.

Just as there is no evolutionist who has simply chosen to believe life evolved from some wet rocks?
Believing in God is every bit as much an individual’s choice as believing in evolution. Yes, there are outside influences that provide them that choice, but the choice is still there and is their decision to make.

I continue to stick by my opinion that evolution is as much a disproven theory as creationism is. Both of them require faith to keep them afloat. If there was irrefutable proof in either direction then there would be no discussion. But, there’s no proof. Just some fossils with no “missing links” and a Bible with no one alive to atest to its truth.

Just as there is no evolutionist who has simply chosen to believe life evolved from some wet rocks?
Believing in God is every bit as much an individual’s choice as believing in evolution. Yes, there are outside influences that provide them that choice, but the choice is still there and is their decision to make.

That’s a new one. Wet rocks? Where do people get this nonsense from?

Matt said:

I continue to stick by my opinion that evolution is as much a disproven theory as creationism is. Both of them require faith to keep them afloat. If there was irrefutable proof in either direction then there would be no discussion. But, there’s no proof. Just some fossils with no “missing links” and a Bible with no one alive to atest to its truth.

Come on, you can do better than that. Just think, if you have been lied to about there being no transitional fossils, what else have you been lied to about? Hmmn.

And science doesn’t deal in “irrefutable proof”, but the evidence for evolution comes as close to it as you are likely to find. Do both yourself and the rest of the world a favor – look in to the evidence for evolution.

If it’s all nonsense it should be easy to refute. But if it isn’t, you are being profoundly disrespectful to God by not only dismissing His method of creation, but contributing to a culture that essentially sticks two fingers up at the very method that your God used to create the diversity of life on earth.